KATHMANDU: In a dramatic turn of events, Secretary Krishna Hari Pushkar, currently deployed at the Office of the Vice President, was released late Thursday night after being detained and interrogated for nearly seven hours by the Valley Crime Investigation Department in Teku.

Pushkar was taken into custody at around 3:00 PM on the orders of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, following allegations that he breached the chain of command by sending a message to Prime Minister Balendra Shah for personal interest.

Pushkar was previously a top contender for the Chief Secretary position before the government appointed Suman Raj Aryal to the post in November 2025.

The situation took a tense turn around 9:00 PM when police issued Pushkar an emergency arrest warrant and placed him in a vehicle for a medical examination, intending to transfer him to the District Police Range for prosecution.

However, following sudden “orders from above,” the decision was reversed. Pushkar was brought back inside, and after signing a guarantee bond, he was officially released at around 10:00 PM into the custody of his wife, Abha Shrestha.